Arc
by Nacht-Ritter
Summary: The trials of Avatar Aang, Lord Zuko the Great, Prince Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe, Katara of the Full Moon, Princess Yue the Moonchild, Lady Mai of the Daggers, and Lady Toph of the Winged Boar are chronicled within these texts.AU, AangCentric.
1. Chapter 1: The Temple of Notus

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or any affiliated logos, characters, or fighting styles.

This one's a bit of a doozy, and it almost literally came out of nowhere. The basic plot: what if the conversation between the other monks and Giatzo never happened. What would have changed, what would have remained the same? Warnings: Massively AU, Character Death, Blood/Gore/Excessive Violence, OOCness in general, Mentioning of Yuri/Femslash. I'm not telling the pairings in summary, as that tends to make less people read these stories. Also, refrain from demanding pairings in reviews/PMs/Emails, such demands will be ignored- all pairings have been decided from the start.

Now, lets get the show on the road.

* * *

"_There was a time few can remember, when the land of fire and earth lived in harmony.  
My great grandfather, Fire Lord Sozin, brought ended the peace over a century ago._

_At first, the war was going in my people's favor.  
Our superior technology and our fire were securing our victory._

_Or, in our arrogance, so we thought.  
Two years ago, before the comet's second coming, the war turned against us._

_The Day of the Black Sun threw my people to the slaughter.  
The moon eclipsing our bending, our tanks, our ships, none of our weapons could work.  
Rather than the Fire Nation take over the Earth, the Earth had taken control of Fire_

_Most of the people I cared about died that day.  
My father, Ozai, was the first to die, followed by my sister, Azula.  
It turns out; she did have a heart after all.  
She and her lover, Ty Lee, told Mai and I to leave the palace, dieing to buy us time._

_I used to wish to find the Avatar to destroy him.  
Then, I thought, my family's honor would be restored.  
Now, however, my reasons for finding the Avatar are different.  
The balance needs to be restored, and I fear only he can do it."_

-Excerpt from the Ballad of Lord Zuko the Great,  
Prologue; lines 1 through 18.

* * *

August 14, 12th year of the War of Trials. 

A young boy was sprawled upon a small, lowered bed. He was dreaming, and from the smile upon his face, it was a good one. The dream was important; it would forever change the course of history from the current path to… well, who knows?

In side of his mind, the young boy was seeing a vision. In front of him was a girl who appeared to be slightly older than him. As she walked towards him, the wind waved the few locks of her dark hair that were not held up in a bun. As he looked on her, curious as to why she was approaching him, he saw an image of a beautiful woman superimposed upon her. As the girl got closer, he noticed a great resemblance between the girl and the woman.

Before he could ask what the image was, the fading image of the older women reached out toward him. He heard a light, motherly voice begin to speak.

_"Avatar," _he heard the voice say, _"A war is brewing in these lands. Head to the south, away from the spreading fire. You alone are the hope for the world."_

"What- what are you talking about?" the boy, the Avatar, said. The girl gave him a strange look, before putting a finger to his lips.

"I didn't say anything, Aang." With those words, she embraced him. The boy blushed slightly, her pale gi- while still being modest- was more revealing than anything the girls in the temple wore. Suddenly, he felt faint, and saw his vision fading.

"Aang!" It was the mystery girl's voice. "Aang!"

---

"Aang! Wake up this instant!" This voice was much deeper and rough than the strange dream-girl. "If you don't wake up now, so help me I'll…" A blast of wind from the boy's palm narrowly missing his face silenced him quickly.

"I'm up, I'm up!" The young boy literally jumped out of his bed. He grinned at the withering old man who was his _sifu_, scratching the back of his head. "Gimme a minute to get ready!"

"Be quick about it, Aang. The Council of the Wind is meeting, and they need to know which Element you plan to master next." Saying that, the old man sighed as he left the boy's room; knowing Aang's penchant for tardiness, they would be late for the meeting.

"Gotcha, _Sifu_ Giatzo!" He quickly switched his underwear, and put on his yellow britches and tunic. Choosing to neglect shaving his head for the day, he threw his orange, homespun cloak on after using his air bending to clean off his teeth, and ran out the door.

He quickly caught up to his master, who had chosen to take his time, and immediately slowed his gate to that of his _sifu, _as if he had been walking alongside the man the entire time. For a moment, the older man's composure shattered, leaving a completely shocked expression on Giatzo's face. Aang was never, _ever, __**ever**_, on time for anything, let alone arrive early. The elderly monk then let out a small chuckle.

"At least you have chosen to be on time for things of importance, Aang," Giatzo

Aang pouted for a moment, and said "I'm not _that _late to everything master. I just like to arrive _fashionably_ late." The young monk grinned, a rather broad smile that nearly consumed his entire face.

Giatzo chortled amusedly at the Avatar's words, and then shook his head. He loved the boy as a son, but he needed to learn when to be serious about things. Even with the grave responsibilities of an Avatar, the boy was irreverent, irresponsible, and a clown. Giatzo could relate, having been all of those and more at the boy's age.

"Race you there,_Sifu_ Giatzo!" the young avatar laughed out. The boy quickly manipulated the air near his feet, into two swirling spheres, and zoomed off towards the council's meeting room, propelling himself with both his body and the wind at his control.

Giatzo raised his eyes, wondering how the boy learned to do that. It wasn't like the usual air skate, which the Airbender using it would sit on and use it to propel him or herself. Nor was it like the Wind Running technique that used a strong backwind and their bodies own force to cover distance quicker than the air skate. It seemed to combine both of the skills into a faster one.

Sighing for the second time that day, the old monk ran off after his charge through the mountaintop temple, towards the halls of the Council of Wind, muttering about the foolishness of youth as he went.

As he expected, Giatzo had found Aang crashed into the walls of the meeting place. The older monk rolled his eyes at the boy's stupidity, but put his arm out to help the boy up from where he fell.

"Thanks _Sifu_ Giatzo!" Aang said, brushing off the dirt from the crash that had gotten on to his cloak. "Don't know what I'd do without ya."

"You would get into more trouble than you normally would," the wiser of the two responded. Giatzo straightened himself out as well, wishing to look presentable in front of the Council of Wind. "I would advise you to straighten yourself out, Aang. The council… doesn't really understand the meaning of the words 'casual' or 'fun'"

"Guess I'll have to teach 'em then." Still, Aang straightened himself up, having heard of the legendary strictness of the council from some of his friends.

"Remember, Aang, when you go in there, you must act the Avatar," warned Giatzo. "So, don't goof off, pay attention, and above all, _act responsible_." With that, the monk stiffened himself so as to look self important, and walked into the council. Aang, attempting to mimic his mentor, followed suit.

---

The Halls of the Council, to Aang, seemed to be an unforgiving place. The symbol of the Air Nomads hung from the many banners that decorated the room. The Avatar didn't feel comfortable in this room, but it was the closest thing to a governing body that those who followed the path of Air had.

Aang prostrated himself before the Council of Winds next to the now kneeling Giatzo. The council was made up of eight members, one for each temple, and one for each of the four groups of nomads. Their faces were shrouded in darkness, making them seem all the more stern and uncompromising.

"Rise, Avatar Aang, Monk Giatzo," said one of the Councilmen. At his words, both Aang and Giatzo rose from their knees. The one to have spoken rose from his seat, and lowered the hood of his gray cloak, revealing him to be slightly younger than Giatzo, but much more venerable. He turned towards his fellow council members.

"We trust you to make the proper choice, Councilman Quartinus," said one of the other council members. Another hood face seemed to give an apologetic look towards Aang, "We are sorry, Aang. We have other matters that need to be attended to. We hope that Quartinus's judgment will be satisfactory for all of us." With that, the other seven members of the Council of Winds vanished from the room, accompanied by a gust of wind.

Quartinus sighed. There were other matters that the council needed to attend to, but he had hoped that the Avatar's presence in their Halls would take precedence over the other duties.

"My apologies, Aang, Giatzo," began Quartinus, "I am sad to say that the council rarely stays in one place anymore, even for something as important as the presence of the Avatar."

"It is understandable," said Giatzo.

"Yah!" Aang said, a grin on his face. "I'm just a kid, after all…"

"Still, you are the Avatar, and you will need all the support you can get. But we need to stop dancing around the task at hand. We all know of the war brewing between Earth and Fire. As Avatar, you have a responsibility to bring an end to it.

"Not meaning any offence, but I doubt you are ready for such a task."

"What do you mean, Quart'" said Aang, who was promptly elbowed by Giatzo for not showing respect for the councilman, "ouch… I mean Quartinus? I've never lost a spar with any of the other monks!"

"This is because they were not trying to kill you," was Quartinus's response, "and they were less skilled with a type of fighting that you are familiar with.

"Good as you are, for you _are_ a prodigy Airbender, they will throw their elites at you. With your lack of experience, you would surely be lost, a loss that none can afford to take.

"Now, it is custom for an Avatar to learn the elements in the order of the corresponding seasons. Since you are an Airbender of the autumn, the first element you learn should be Water.

"Now, the council would recommend you learn at the Northern Water Tribe-"

"No," said Aang. His eyes were down cast, whether it was in sorrow or deep thought was unknown to the two others in the room.

"Aang," said Giatzo, "there are many more water bending masters in the North than the south. Surely you should know what an advantage that this would-"

"Let us hear out the Avatar out, Giatzo. He may have a valid explanation." Quartinus beckoned for Aang to explain his choice.

"I'm not sure whether this'll be valid enough for ya, but last night, I had a dream. It was different than most dreams I have. It had a feeling of… I dunno how to describe it… But anyway there was this rather pretty girl…"

At that, Giatzo and Quartinus shared a look, and then looked at Aang. The skepticism on their faces was evident, the two of them prepared to silence him if it was one of _those_ dreams.

At their looks, Aang got defensive. "No, no, no! Not like that! That's not the point! There was this, I dunno, an image of an older girl. And then there was this voice, and it was all 'Go south, Avatar, to prepare for the war!' And then the younger girl…"

"Enough, Aang," said Giatzo, looking both worried about what the dream meant, and scandalized.

"Yes, Aang," said Quartinus, "we understand the point. There is no need for you to continue on.

"It's clear that the spirits wish you to go to the southern water tribe for some reason. The conventions they used, though… No matter, they guide all of us, even the Avatar, through whatever means necessary."

After he finished, Quartinus walked towards one of the walls. He tugged at one brick, and pulled it free from the rest of the wall. He reached inside the hole that was made, and removed a scroll. He walked over to Aang, and handed him the scroll.

"Avatar, this is one of the forbidden scrolls of wind. They are only given to those who can be trusted to use it properly, and even then, only when there are times of necessary violence. I hope I am right with trusting you with this."

The young Airbender was in awe of the scroll that now rest in his hands. These scrolls were legendary, the techniques within them both powerful and deadly.

"The masters at school said that these were all destroyed-"

"They were not," stated, to Aang's surprise, Giatzo. "I myself was part of the group that hid them away when they're secrecy was deemed necessary." Giatzo glared at Quartinus. "Councilman, are you sure that it is wise to trust this scroll to the boy. Surely, there are others less… purposefully deadly than this one."

"Perhaps…" murmured Quartinus, "but for balance to be restored, sometimes purposeful violence in necessary. I would suggest you get ready for your trip, Aang. On behalf of the Council of Wind, we wish you luck in you endeavors."

Wishing to leave the presence of his superior, Giatzo took hold of Aang. "Quartinus is right Aang, it is best that you prepare for your trip." With that, he led the twelve year old away from the Hall of Winds, back to the boys Quarters.

---

"What were you talking about _sifu_? About the 'necessary violence'? The question Aang had just posed was something that the aging man was rather unwilling to answer. Rather than outright deny the boy answers, he chose to evade the question.

"You'll find out tomorrow, when you and Appa leave for the south." With that, the venerable monk left the boy's quarters, so as to avoid any other questions that he would rather not answer.

Aang moaned in disappointment. He had hoped to grill his _sifu_ for some answers about the scroll. He chose to pack it away, for tomorrow, so he could read it on the way south. Maybe he would figure it out then.

The gray eyed boy delicately draped his orange cloak over his chair at his desk, and neatly folded his yellow tunic and britches for the next day. He was excited to be one of the few people who would get to see the world.

After all of his stuff was packed away, he prepared himself to go to sleep. After going through the reverse of his morning rituals, he began to perform his nightly meditation. Going through his thoughts he reflected on the significance of today's events.

He began to ask himself questions that should have come up earlier, had he been more observant. _What did the council need to do so badly? Or were they just setting me up to get a scroll that they couldn't give me while all were present? Or was it both?_ He decided he should not pry.

Finishing his meditation, he used his air bending to literally jump into bed. As he fell asleep, one thought crossed his mind… _what's so bad about hugging?_ He hoped to see the dream girl again tonight.

---

"…"

In Aang's dreamscape, he could see the girl again, surrounded by a forest. This time though, she was fading like the silhouette that was behind her the last time. Seeing the distress upon her face, he ran towards her. She put reached out towards him, and her voice was heard.

"Aang…"

Hearing her say his name in such a hopeless tone, he ran quicker. But with every step he took towards her, she faded more and more. He reached out to try to embrace her, but as he made contact, he fell right through her. _An illusion…_ he thought. He was too focused on the girl to see what was behind her, and was unable to stop himself from hitting his head on a low tree branch…

As he blacked out, he heard a rough, sinister voice say something. He could barely make out what it said, but it would still haunt him for years to come.

"One more face to steal…"

---

Aang woke up in a cold sweat. Whatever joy he had about traveling to the southern water tribe had been robbed of him by his dream. Then he remembered some teachings of one of his mentors. Time was irrelevant in the spirit world. He had no idea what that meant… like most of the other philosophical mumbo jumbo they taught him. But, it gave him hope.

He quickly went through his morning rituals, once again neglecting to shave his head. Today it was noticeable, and he could feel a short stubble of hair when he touch his scalp. No matter, he was heading to a place that was cold anyways, and would use that as an excuse. He threw his orange cloak over his shoulders, grabbed his bag, and made his way towards the Sky-Bison stable.

He greeted several people on the way down the path to the stable. This would be the last time that he would see his home, the Southern Air Temple for many years to come, so he stopped to appreciate its beauty.

It was a very ornate temple, runes of blessing and protection were written across each doorframe. The gardens were wondrous, maintaining both a natural and man made beauty that few could match. There were all kinds of plants, but they never clashed, maintaining the balance that the monks so cherished. It was a good place to live, but he had to leave it for now.

"Mornin' Madam Kaya," yawned Aang in greeting to the stable mistress as he walked through the doors.

"Here for Appa, Aang?" Madam Kaya had a very matronly voice, something that Aang liked about her.

"Yeah… we're heading to the south pole for water bending instruction." Aang stretched himself out a bit more, getting rid of what kinks that his morning exercises failed to remove.

"Southern water tribe? Good choice Aang. Their style is more focused towards healing than combat," said the matronly lady. Aang simply grinned at her, putting his hands behind his head.

"Aang, it is time that you depart."

Startled by the sudden voice, Aang turned around to see councilman Quartinus and _Sifu_ Giatzo standing side by side. Giatzo went up to him, and clasped the Avatar's shoulder, surprisingly firmly for such a frail hand.

"Before you go Aang, Quartinus and I have a few things that you may need for your new… training."With this, Giatzo, beckoned to Quartinus. In the councilman's hands was a bundle of wrapped cloth. Aang's gray eyes examined it curiously, before the councilman chose to explain what it was.

"Avatar, this is a_naginata_, one of the few weapons that we of the Air Nomads are known to use. The instructions for its use are incorporated in _that_ scroll, so I expect you to learn how to use it." Having said what his wanted, Quartinus flipped his cloak's hood back up, and returned to the main temple.

Once again, Giatzo came up to the boy. He had something in his hands, what appeared to be a small box. He quickly handed it to Aang, a slip of paper sticking out of it, and bowed his head as he returned to the temple.

"Good luck, s…" was all Aang could hear Giatzo mutter as he left the wooden walls of the Sky-Bison stable. The young boy's eye's returned to the box.

"Open it once you've started off Aang," Kaya said, shaking her head.

"…"

Eye's downcast; Aang went towards Appa's pen. Once the door was opened, Aang was almost immediately greeted by a lick from the massive creature that was Appa. The Sky Bison shook its white fur, and got onto all six of its massive legs.

"Thanks buddy; you always know how to cheer me up." Aang laughed, and used his wind manipulation to dry himself off. He took one of the massive saddles from the saddle rack, and put it on the bison.

Aang steered Appa towards the Sky Port of Appa's pen after tying the reins to his horns.

"Alright buddy! Time to go to the southern water tribe! Yip yip!" The duo's little catch phrase said, the bison charged towards the open sky, and jumped. Rather than fall, like would have been suspected, especially from such an enormous creature, they continued to soar through the sky, towards the south, and the southern water tribe.

---

Appa being able to steer himself fairly well with minimal guidance, Aang had time to open the "forbidden wind scroll," examine the box, and unwrap the_naginata_. He chose to open the box first, valuing the gift of the man who he felt to be his father highest of them all.

Inside of it were a jade necklace and a note. Though curious about the jewelry, and wishing to examine it, Aang chose to read the note first, hoping to gain some insight as to what the necklace was from it.

_My most beloved pupil,_

_What I am going to tell you here must remain secret. Do NOT return to the temple after reading this, and whatever happens, keep the necklace safe._

_I believe Quartinus is the only trustworthy member of the Council of Wind, with a possible exception of Secunda. If you receive a letter from either of them, trust them as much as you feel you can, but do not be blind about it._

_This is a warning Aang—the Council has made a dealing with an outside force. They plan on destroying the Four Temples, and all who reside in them, within a matter of months._

_DO NOT RETURN TO THE TEMPLE. This is imperative. If the council finds out that you have caught on to their plans, they will have you killed._

_What they are really looking for is the necklace that I have given to you. Quartinus and I manage to find its fragments and replace them back together before the council could. This is the Necklace of Kyoshi, one of your previous incarnations._

_The reason for the value of this necklace is that it is not, in fact, jade. It was crafted from the core of a meteor that Kyoshi had seen fall from the sky. Channel your chi through it, and you will be granted the gift of foresight._

_But remember, son, the future is never set in stone. You still have a chance, a chance to change any thing that could go wrong. Please, son, use this well._

_The Man Who Wishes He Was Truly Your Father,_

_Monk Giatzo, of the Southern Air Temple_

Aang dropped the letter, but quickly grabbed it before it flew off. He went through it over and over again. He was glad to know that he was not just another pupil of his father figure. But his emotions conflicted with his missions.

Briefly, very briefly, Aang looked back at the Southern Air Temple. He shook his head, smiling a sad smile, and brief let his emotions through the barrier of his monk training. He would make his "Father" proud of him. But to do that, he would need to gain all of the power he could, and end the brewing war before it could begin.

Proudly clasping the gift of his father around his neck, the young avatar looked toward the scroll and the _naginata_ in a different light now. His old home was to be destroyed soon, he could no longer simply live by their rules, and he had to take things into his own hands.

Knowing that the scroll's techniques would probably require the use of the _naginata_, he unwrapped it first. It was a beautiful weapon, not dissimilar to his staff. The only difference between the staff and the pole-arm was the two foot blade that replaced the upper parts of the staff. He supposed that it changed the style of fighting used, but he was no expert.

He then grabbed the scroll. He was rather amazed at the detail that it went to describe the techniques. But the effects… were rather bloody. Just picturing the three manipulations he had looked at, it took Aang all of his willpower to not get queasy. But he had to master it all, to make his father proud.

He wrapped his bags in the oil cloth that he had brought with him, and lashed them to the part of the saddle that was designed for "storage." After eating his lunch, he saw a storm coming in from the south.

"Think we can make it, through buddy?" said Aang to the massive bison. The bison made a grunt that sounded affirmative. "Alright then, let's go."

---

"I don't think this was such a good idea, buddy" yelled Aang over the roar of the storm. He was desperately clutching the reins, steering Appa through the winds. Then, a flash of lightning.

"Appa!" sobbed Aang. The lightning had hit Appa, nothing fatal, but they were going down. Crashing downwards into the ocean, Aang and Appa. _I can't die, I can't die here! I have to make father proud…_ Blackness was overcoming the boy's vision, but he heard something as he began to lose consciousness.

_"Don't worry, Aang," _it was the voice of the girl from his dream _"I won't let you die" _And then consciousness fully slipped from his grasp…

* * *

That ends it for this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it. 

Please leave a review, they are very much appreciated.


	2. Chapter 1 and a half: Not quite done

Ok, here's Chapter Two... ish. It's only about half as well done as would have liked it to be, and has only half the words that I wanted it to have. The only reason I'm posting this is because I haven't updated in 2+ months. (Damn you AP courses!)

Most likely I will try to finish this chapter this weekend, if at all possible. Until then, enjoy this... CHAPTER 1.5!

A/N: Be warned, a certain bloodbender makes an appearance this chapter. Also, thanks for all of the reviews! (A few of you guessed right on who the dream girl was )

"_Sworn to heal,_

_Sworn to save, _

_Sworn to give aid to all within our ability to heal._

_So we swear to use our bending to create, not destroy_

_To defend, not attack _

_To build, and never tear down._

_On our blood, we swear our neutrality"_

- The Waterbender's Oath, from "Prima, Betrayer of the South"

Chapter 4, Page 97- 98.

-------------

_"Hello, Aang." _Once more, Aang had found himself within the dreamscape, this time the décor being that of a simple bedroom. The gray walls were reminiscent of his cell at the southern temple, so much so that for a time he believed that he had been dreaming when he left the shrine to the southern winds.

"Good morning, _sifu_." With a great yawn, Aang "woke" into the dreamscape, rubbing his eyes as he got up from the bed within the room. Yep, it was his room; the window in the corner, the sparse furniture accompanied by a mess of clothes and parchment from his studies, the grinning girl on the stool in front of a simple piano…

_"_Sifu_? No need to be so formal, Aang." _The young Avatar shook his head in an attempted to clear his mind. It was the girl he had been seeing in his dreams earlier, so he must be dreaming again. Either that or he had lost his mind.

He prayed to Notus, the god of the Southern Wind, that it was the former.

As the girl shook her head in amusement, he noticed something rather strange about her. Unlike the former "dreams," if that's what they were, the girl's ebon bangs did not completely obscure her eyes. They were a pallid green, the pupils barely distinguishable from the iris.

"Aeolus," swore the Airbender, "you're blind." He hadn't expected that, she hadn't seemed blind. He mentally slapped himself as soon as he spoke, was it a sore spot? Did she care? Would she hate him? He hoped not, the presence of the girl was… comforting.

She laughed, _"Gaea, Aang, you just figured it out? It's not like I didn't tell you when we first met."_ She sighed; Aang could be a moron sometimes. She grabbed him when he fell into the abyss, and he can't even remember her name. Deep down, it hurt. A lot.

The two sat there, Aang on the white sheets of the bed, the girl on the brown cushion of the piano stool. Aang opened his mouth, an apology dancing of the tip of his tongue. It was never uttered; the room around them seemed to fall around them, leaving an empty blackness all around them.

Not knowing what this all meant, or even what was happening, the two saw figures dancing upon the blackness as the raced towards each other in fear. They saw, but did not comprehend, just praying for a haven from the shadow that surrounded them.

A man veiled in the shadows stood at a crossroads, one path leading towards darkness veiled in a false light, the other leading towards light dampened with sorrow. He could not tell one from the other, but on this choice the balance of the world would rest, but would he follow the fan or the moon?

A phoenix rose from the ashes of a dying land, supported by the edge of a knife. A dragon lay dead upon the field, a circus tent was slashed and ruined, and the lightning of the storm seemed to cease. The phoenix wept at the losses, and set out to rebuild.

The final image that flashed by as the two touched was the strangest of all. A seraph fought the millipede, brandishing a blade of shadow. The pianist looked on at the fight, knowing that she could do nothing to help the seraph. The veiled man stood watch, unsure of what to do.

Aang grasped the girl's hand, and the two fell towards the heart of the darkness. As they were embraced by the shadow, Aang spoke the question that had been on his mind since the first dream.

"Who are you?"

The shadow crawling up their skin, it took the girl in the white gi all of her effort to respond. "Gaea dammit, Aang! It's me, Toph!" With that came blackness…

-------------

"Gyatso," said a voice from behind the elderly monk. Registering the voice as that of his confidante, he broke his meditation to speak with the council member.

"Quartinus," he grunted at the blonde man as he rose from his seated position. A breeze moved through the garden, swaying the branches of blooming trees. No child was playing amongst the flowers, no mother chastising her own for being reckless or fussing over a scraped knee. "I take it that all of the precautions have been implemented."

"Yes, my friend." The blonde councilman looked out over the temple grounds as Gyatso had. Only those trained as the monks remained in the Shrine to Notus. "All of the women and children have been evacuated from our home. Fortune is on our side, Gyatso. The betrayers on the council do not wish for our destruction any more than we do."

Gyatso began to walk toward the main complex of the temple. "That is good," he remarked absently. All was calm in the empty pathways of the air temple, contrary to the usual hustle and bustle of the business that was usually conducted there—air nomads were renowned for their haggling skills; making a profit off them was often the master's test in the merchant guilds. Everything was silent, serene, peaceful.

A missile of flame crashed into one of the buildings on the street that Gyatso and Quartinus were walking on. Quartinus looked out towards the source of the missile. Hundreds—no _thousands_—more of them were flying through the noonday sky. He and Gyatso exchanged a glance.

"So… it begins." said Quartinus, with the resolution of a dead man walking. Gyatso nodded solemnly. They knew the odds; they had sent the women and children away to preserve their way of life. Tonight, they would fly the four winds, and dine in Aeolus's halls. Their only consolation was that they would take as many of the bastards out with them as possible.

"May the four winds guide you, my friend," said Gyatso.

The younger man smirked, a self made wind tossing his blonde hair. "I'll see you on the other side, Gyatso." That said, the two monks disappeared, becoming one with the winds.

---

The People of the Wind had no formal army of their own. Many believed that this made them weaker than the other nations, constantly vulnerable to attack. Naturally, the mercenaries—primarily Fire Nation, but many people from Earth and Water—expected little to no resistance from the monks.

Truth was; the People of the Wind didn't _need_ an army; each person was a company of soldiers of their own. Gyatso, for all of his age and frailty (though the later was self caused), was no exception to this rule.

The elderly monk panted heavily, every muscle in his body aching with the strain of combat, but made no move to halt his dance of destruction. Waving his arms to form a complex weave of wind, he gracefully dodged projectiles of earth, blasts of fire, and whips of water. Finding a pause in his enemies' attacks, he released the fury of Aeolus upon those who would destroy his people.

Blades of wind slashed at the command of his arms, slashing up the earth as they sped towards his opponents. Some dodged out of the way of the attack. Others were too slow, and were cut to pieces. The swords of wind tore through their bodies as a hot knife through butter; decapitating them at best, reducing them to a mist of flesh and blood at worst. Those who died were the lucky ones.

The ones who had dodged the attack not only bore witness to the gruesome death of their comrades in arms—a scene that would haunt them for decades to come—but lost many of their limbs for their efforts. Some lost only their hands or feet in the blood-storm; others bled to death with only a leg and an arm remaining.

"Dead man walking," muttered Gyatso, grimacing at the gore of his handiwork. This mantra was a core part of the Air Monks' society. It referred to the sacred texts of Notus; more specifically, its rules on the use of violent force. "Only when one is a dead man walking, may one kill."

As contrary to his spiritual values as this violence was, Gyatso knew he had to continue on. The more time the enemy had to recuperate, the more time his son had to prepare and train. Seeing a Fire-Model tank, Gyatso, began to spin the air around his palm into a hurricane of blades.

He leapt at the tank, blasting his way through the fireball it launched at him. The old warrior slammed the hurricane in his palm against the tank, and the hulk of metal was no more. Adopting the stance Lion Among Wolves, the monk charged back into the fray. It would end now, in one way, or another.

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Aang awoke in a pristine white room on a comfortable raised bed, his arm in a sling and bandages wrapped around much of his forehead. He looked around the room as much as he could, taking note of the medical equipment surrounding him. Diagrams of the human body plastered much of the wall, and the walls themselves appeared to be made of _ice_.

"Ae-flippin'-olus," sighed the young Avatar, "it's another one of those freaky dreams again."

"Well, if ya're dreamin', then Ah'm dreamin' too." Aang flinched in surprise hearing the soft voice, and turned towards its source. Sitting in a chair was a young woman, a warm smile gracing her tired features as she studied the young boy. Aang blushed slightly as his gray eyes met her blue ones.

Noting the blue and white kimono that marked her of the Water Tribes, Aang wondered exactly where he was. There was a large hospital in almost all of the Southern Water Tribe villages, but he wanted to be sure of his exact location. "Uh… not too be rude or anything," began the airbender, "But where the windless am I?"

The girl sitting in front of him laughed a little (much to Aang's embarrassment) before answering. "Ya're in Helinsye, the capital of the Southern Water Tribe." Her eyes met Aang's again, and she smiled. "Mah name's Hama, one of the junior healers here at Heilen Hospital."

Flustered, the former monk gave his own "I'm Aang, an Airbender from the Temple of Notus." A look of sadness flashed across her features for a moment, and then receded. Aang failed to register the brief look, his eyes closed with a grin as he continued his introduction. "And I'm the Avatar."

"Are ya really?" Hama said, doubting that this… kid was the Avatar. Then again, she was no older—most of the apprentice healer inductees had at least three or four years on her, and she had been an assistant healer for two years now.

Aang flashed another one of his grins. "That's what they tell me!" Hama giggled a bit, but then wondered why an Avatar would come to the south for training. Most of the previous Avatar's had been more impressed by the "fancy splashes" that their sister tribe taught, rather than the subtle, masterful art form that the south would train their benders in. Of course, she didn't quite believe him about his Avatar-hood yet.

"Prove it," she challenged. Aang pouted, but chose to comply.

"Okay." He began to bend some of the air around him, spinning it around and around to form a miniature hurricane in his hand.

"So, you're an airbend-" she was cut off when a torrent of water splashed down from above her. Thinking it was one of the younger novices playing their idea of a joke on her; she spun around, arms raised threateningly, and an angry frown marring her features.

"Sila, if that was you again I swear I'll—" she began to rant, but the waterbender cut herself off when she failed to see any trace of the young prankster. She froze for a moment, the gears of thought turning in her mind. She turned back to Aang, her eye brow twitching in annoyance.

He grinned sheepishly as the ice around her cracked, pieces of it floating upward of their own accord. The young Avatar scratched the back of his head, absentmindedly noting that his hair had grown a few inches since he had last checked. With a nervous chuckle, he said, "Well, I guess that that proves that, eh?"

Her blue eyes widened in shock. So this lad—no older than her, and certainly less imposing in presence—was the Avatar? She twisted one of her twin bangs around in her finger in contemplation as she responded to the boy. "I guess it does."

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Thats that. Kinda dissapointing how short this damn chapter was, so I hope to post the finished one soon.

Sorry about the longs delay in updates, and for the half update as well . 


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